The Re-Up: There’s a new reason each week to believe these aren’t the same old Chiefs

It’s our Monday morning afternoon column, The Re-Up. On this column, I’ll write about some deeper thought I had about the final recreation and end with some enjoyable stuff to ponder at the article’s finish. Take a look at final week’s column right here.

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports activities

You can be the best soccer analyst in the complete world. You might be a statistical nerd, you can be a former participant. Hell, you may be a widely-respected identify corresponding to Peter King or John Madden.

No matter who you’re, what you could have accomplished or what you do, it’s a almost inconceivable process to appropriately consider NFL groups prior to the starting of the common season.

Now, I’ve solely been doing this for 5 seasons (so what do I do know, actually?), however I’ve discovered that in a method, determining who groups are feels comparable to watching a murder-mystery sitcom. Each recreation is an episode, and each episode offers clues to an eventual reply—Sunday, for my part, gave us two.

Going into Sunday (utilizing clues from the season’s first 4 episodes), I felt positive that if Patrick Mahomes threw extra interceptions than touchdowns in any recreation this season, the Chiefs would lose, their defensive unit simply not ok.

Sunday’s effort—one which included 12 passes defensed, 11 quarterback hits, 5 sacks, 4 interceptions and one pressured fumble and restoration out of the Chiefs protection—proved me very incorrect. And that was the first new clue I took away from Sunday.

In case you have been beneath a rock Sunday missed the recreation, it was the Chiefs’ greatest defensive participant of 2018, Dee Ford, who pressured Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles to fumble instantly after Mahomes threw his first interception of the season.

“It shows what kind of team we are in every phase of the game,” Mahomes stated, when requested what it means for Ford to have been making these forms of performs all yr lengthy. “We can win games with everyone on this team. It’s not just the offense, it’s not just the defense, it’s not just special teams. We’re a unit and we believe that. I’m excited to just come out with a win like that where the defense just stepped up and made a ton of plays and gave us chance to make plays.”

Cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who changed David Amerson in the remaining hour of the preseason and has been the media scapegoat for an underwhelming Chiefs secondary, had his greatest recreation of the season.

He used the recreation as a means to make a assertion, each on the area and off.

“We’re physical,” Scandrick stated. “I don’t think they’re physical. I think they want to pretend they’re physical when everything is going good. But I think we’re a really physical team. I think we played a physical style of defense.”

As you’ll be able to inform, Scandrick didn’t take too kindly to how the Jaguars selected to play the recreation.

As is clear by their ejections, neither did Ford nor defensive lineman Chris Jones—two gamers who’re as mellow off the area as you’ll discover ejected due to their emotional responses to the Jaguars.

With Jacksonville pushing and speaking trash, in accordance to the Chiefs, Ford took two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and Jones was ejected for punching an opposing participant’s leg throughout an additional level.

Operating again Kareem Hunt was additionally flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for bumping helmets with Jacksonville linebacker Telvin Smith, who was not smiling on Sunday.

As anticipated, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid didn’t approve of the ejections, however as you’ll be able to infer from his assertion after the recreation, he welcomed the message of all of it with open arms.

Learn intently.

“When two good football teams play each other, you can’t let the emotions get to you,” Reid defined. “[Jacksonville] is a team that is going to come in and be physical and try to push you around in your own place. You can’t do that either. You have to put your foot down and do it the right way. We have to learn from that. You surely cannot be ejected from the game, that’s not smart football. That’s a lesson you can learn. First of all, no one’s going to push us around, anywhere, but also be smart about it.”

I’ve grow to be accustomed to the coach-speak in Reid, so I recognize these moments when he goes off-script.

“No one’s going to push us around, anywhere,” could possibly be as off-script because it will get for Reid, and that was our second clue from Sunday.

This concept that the Chiefs have a we-belong-here mentality about them is new and maybe one they didn’t have final yr, once they struggled after starting the season 5-Zero, and later blew an 18-point group to what I really feel was a worse group in the playoffs.

So, to assessment, our two new clues from Sunday as to the Chiefs’ id are:

1) A protection that has it in it to will the staff to victory, even when Mahomes faces adversity.2) A united entrance that may present toughness and grit (beforehand unseen) when essential.

Each gadgets heighten that feeling that perhaps this yr might really be totally different.

STAT OF THE GAME

In 2018, the Chiefs have outscored opponents 59-9 in the first quarter.

Meaning it is best to get to the Sunday Night time Soccer watch celebration early.

GIF OF THE GAME

TWEET(s) OF THE GAME

I swear! If I didn’t have a daughter I might PAYYYYYYYYYYY everybody of certainly one of Kareem Hunts fines!

— Larry Johnson (@2LarryJohnson7) October 7, 2018

I believe that in case you are challenged, advised you possibly can’t do it and somebody makes an attempt to push you round, that you simply rise up for your self. Congrats @Chiefs. Nicely achieved males!

— Rick Burkholder (@proatc) October 7, 2018

Rams and Chiefs are 5-Zero.Bengals are Four-1.Everyone else.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) October 7, 2018

FIVE QUOTES

1. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the two interceptions not likely getting to him: “I think it goes back to college and then to Coach (Andy) Reid. You can’t let that stuff bother you. He says that in football you have to have a short memory, especially when you play the quarterback positon. Like he said, the defense got the ball right back to us and we just tried to go down there and put points on the board.”

2. Andy Reid on the Jacksonville Jaguars: “This is a good football team that was here today. There’s a chance we will meet them down the road. They’re physical, they are emotional, they are going to come after you and let you know they’re out there, verbally and physically. They’ve been there, they were in the championship game last year. It’s an important win, but we are talking about the fifth game of the season. There’s a lot of season left. We have an opportunity to play a good football team again this week. You have to go back through the process, learn from your mistakes to get yourself better and that’s what we will do. If you just keep the score zero to zero and keep working hard, you will be okay.”

three. Vast receiver Chris Conley on what the Chiefs’ defensive effort means for the season: “I think that this team, the sky is the limit for this team as evidenced today. I don’t put more pressure on the defense this week than any previous week. I think they just executed and were able to finish as a team. When you do that, I think this team can be pretty dangerous.”

Four. Middle Mitch Morse on what’s totally different about this yr’s 5-Zero as in contrast to final yr’s 5-Zero group: “I think we definitely have our head on our shoulders. Not that we didn’t last year, but we definitely know a team has a lot of factors. It’s just being efficient, coming to work with a purpose and fighting for each other.”

5. Security Jordan Lucas on his interception and the recreation as a entire: “It was just a great feeling. My celebration was for my fiancé and for my son on the way. If you noticed, I was cradling the ball, gave it a kiss and did my little signature drop. The energy was at an all-time high. If we can play like that week-in, week-out and not ride the waves during the game, we’ve got a chance to do something special here.”

THE BIG THOUGHT

As the Chiefs shift gears from the Jaguars to the New England Patriots on Sunday Night time Soccer, I needed to share this quote from Tom Brady from Monday, per Professional Soccer Speak and WEEI:

“Those (Patriots) turnovers, whether it is an interception, fumbled snap, I think that’s been something that we have to correct,” Brady stated. “If you look back at the first five games we’re giving away too many scoring opportunities. That is limiting our points. I thought the other night we should have put 52 [points] out there, at least. Maybe more. When we play a team like Kansas City, we have to take advantage of every scoring opportunity because we know they are.”

I feel that perhaps, simply perhaps, we’ve got reached the level at 5-Zero that the Chiefs, particularly when it comes to the offense, are incomes full (also called “non-Schrager”) nationwide respect and a spotlight. And in the event that they don’t have it but, they undoubtedly will with a win on Sunday night time.